News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-08-18

/ talS!"
Really" said Betty, incredulously,
raising to Colin the frlnkest, most inro-
/ cent of eyes. Il thought clever people
became doctors sometimes"
/ Fora moment Colin suspected that she
was trying to snub him, but Miss Cam
pion attributed Bctty's rudeness to IA
tigue, and sent her off to bed very soon
ter dinner
=. I: Is
During the next few days Betty found
numberless opportunities of sighting
Colin, but she was so gentle and affec-
tiOnate to her godmother that he re-
tanned his first opinion as to the sweet
ness of her character. He accepted her
Sights with so much good temper, AID
received his aunt's praises with such gen
uine amusement, that Betty was at last
compelled to confess TO herself that her
estimate of him had been altogether
wrong She felt that she could not re-
spect him very much, for a man who
would marry any girl for expediency' S
sake was not worthy of much honor; but
she would be more polite to him, as his
conduct would not in any way affect
her.
Colin was very grateful for this change
in her attitude toward him, and friend
ship sprang up between them which on
his side decTened into love. OF her feel
ings he could guess little. She was in
variably sweet and frank; but the fear of
losing her friendship by attempting to
gain her love for some time prevented
him from pu ting his fate into her hands.
On the last day of her visit, however, the
longing of his heart overcame this fear,
and he poured out all his soul to her, not
noticing that her face was hardening at
his words
Tell me, Betty! Give me one word of
hope. Have l any chance?' he pleaded.
She turned toward him then, her face
white and stern, her mouth wearing
faint, bitter smile.
GLOW well you do it.' she said, in
hard voice.
''Do it? What do you mean?" he asked,
his voice changing too. Don't you un-
de!stand? l love you, Bettym
''Hush.'' she interrupted, harshly.
THAT is quite enough. No, l can give
you no hope; you have no chance. Never
speak of this to me again "-and, rising
from her garden-chair, she went into the
house and up to her own room.
This was what it all meant then, How
blind he had been. She was the ''sweet
girl whom Miss Campion thought a
suitable wife for Colin. She had been
invited here in order that Colin might
see if she would ''do." How grateful
she ought to feel!
She went down stairs presently, feel
ing glad that this was her last day at
Forde. She found Miss Campion sitting
alone in the drawing-room, looking a
little displeased.
Il am so cross. my DEAR" said the old
lady, drawing Betty to a seat by her
brokes' for dinner. 1t was very thought
was your last evening""
''It does not matter, godmother, " said
betty, w tn gentle colInc=s- II would
rather spend it alone with you"
Would you, dear2 l thought you
and Colin had got on more comfortably
lately.
1T was only surface agreement,
answered Betty, rather proudly. I'VE
are too entirely opposed in character to be
really friends"
"You will hardly believe it, Betty, but
had planned a match between you two.
| thought YOU were so well suited for ca h
other, and it would have been so nice for
me to think of your living here together
after my deazhr'
"And you spoke to him about it,"
questioned Betty, without raising her
eyes.
Eyes; on the evening before you came
I i l. 7 7
meet the fate of all match-makers, you
see," she added, signing. Colin said
that he would never marry unless he was
in love-that he must reserve to himself
the right of choosing his wife. And, as
you say, dear, you and he were very far
from falling in love"
'Did he say thatI" asked Betty eagerly.
"Wouldn't he agree to what yol wished?
Than | have wronged him terribly; he is
ever 50 much nicer than thought"
''You thought?n questioned Miss
Campion slowly. "Ah, remember now
I told you that was going to
speak to him, and you believed
that he would marry any one l sug-
gcsted How foolish and wrong l have
been! You might have liked him
if you had not been so prejudiced before
hand, and everything might have been
different"
do not grievc, godmother," said
Betty, gently. ''If we have not been
friends, it is quite my own fault | had
no right to judge him before | knew
him"
But, in spite of her brave words, her
heart sank strangely. She knew that she
would have accepted Collins love had
she understood what he was offering her
for her belief in his unworthiness,
though it had destroyed her trust in him,
had not been strong enough to kill her
love. And now her life would be one
long sorrow for that mistake. Coin
would never speak to her of his love
again-had she not peremptorily for
hidden him? He had gone away now to
avoid her, and after tomorrow she would
never see him again. But at any rate,
she would see him once more, and then
- Oh, snrcly he would see that she
was sorry for having misjudged him so.
But Colin remained at the Ladbrokes'
for the night, and had not returned to
Forde when she left it the next morning
for home.
Betty had been right when She assumed
that Colin had gone away on the previous
afternoon to avoid her. Her harsh re-
lection of his proposal had reused his
anger, and he had felt too hurt to bid
her go0d-by But on his return to Lon
don his anger grew les as time assed
on, though his love for Betty did not
As his thoughts dwelt on her
50 constantly, he began to seek for some
I. IL, 4 tl,,
did her conduct appear.
Her harshness and anger the day that he
proposed to her were so at variance with
her character that he at last concluded
that some misunderstanding must exist
in her mind which he ought to explain
away.
This idea led him to make a journey to
Devonshirc, a few days Liter, though his
hopes of winning Bctty's love were
small.
He walked over to the Rectory on the
after his arrival, and was shown
into the empty drawing room by neat
maid servant, who told him that Betty
would be there in a few minutes, as she
could be easily sent for to the church,
Nh;thcr She had gone to practice. Colin,
l)wcvcr. decided to 90 himself, and had
no difficulty in finding the sacred cdificc,
which was close at hand.
lie seated himself just inside the door,
struck by the beauty of the picture be
fore him. The old church was cool and
dim and still, the chanccl alone gloriticd
BY the sunlight, which glinted through
III" colorcd windows, while the whole
building WAS filed with the long, plaint-
i've notes cf the organ.